Posted on January 11, 2010 by Darren
Much like the titular train, The Taking of Pelham 123 runs almost perfectly to schedule, making all the mandatory stops. Sure, it is confined to the storytelling tracks of a cut-out hostage drama, checking all the necessary fields. It doesn’t do this in anyway exceptionally, nor does it do anything original or daring. Still, Tony Scott is a very talented director and he has two more-than-capable leads to work with, so we have a perfectly mediocre action film to work with.
Travolta trains (geddit?) his sights on a hostage?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: denzel washington, film, hostages, john tavolta, Movie, non-review review, pelham 123, review, subway, the taking of pelham 123, tony scott, train | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 10, 2010 by Darren
What an odd film. Part buddy comedy, part adventure movie parody, Land of the Lost is a chronic mess of a film. However, I see cult appeal looming on the horizon. At the very least, it should become a solid stoner movie.
The only thing scary than one lumbering extra in a fake-looking reptile costume is five lumbering extras in fake-looking reptile costumes...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: anna friel, camp, comedy, danny mcbride, film, kitsch, land of the lost, Movie, non-review review, review, will ferrell | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 9, 2010 by Darren
There’s been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on the next Bond film, provisionally titled as Bond 23. This week has been a bonaza of news about the project, which has been slowly taking shape through dribs and drabs of information. On one hand, we had the official confirmation of what everybody really knew (but it’s nice to know for sure): the movie won’t get made until someone buys MGM or the rights. The other tidbit was much more interesting. Bond has a director: Sam Mendes. I think it’s a great idea.
Things at MGM are so bad that Bond can't even afford dry-cleaning...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bond, bond 23, daniel craig, film, james bond, mgm, Movies, news, peter morgan, sam mendes | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 6, 2010 by Darren
I’ve always said that great movies take the audience on a trip somewhere, so it’s really appropriate that The Hurt Locker brings viewers on a trip to hell. Or as close as it is possible to get to hell on earth. A place where flies roam the bodies of the still living in the desert heat or where even the cats walk with limps and scars or where the dead are stuffed with explosives to mount an attack upon any member of the living not callous enough to know better than to care. This is Iraq, where anything – and anyone – could turn out to be fatal and this is the story of those who survive there, those who die there and – against unlikely odds – those who thrive there.
Sadly, Guy Pierce's improvised retelling of "Moon", complete with homemade space suit, did little for troop morale...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: guy pierce, iraq, iraq war, jeremy renner, kathryn bigalow, Movie, non-review review, ralph fiennes, review, the hurt locker | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 5, 2010 by Darren
It seems that the cast and crew took the entirely wrong message out of the hugely successful (commercially and critically) Casino Royale. A brilliant combination of fancy stunts and grittiness that called to mind the series’ recent challengers in the Bourne series, Royale reinvented Bond for the naughties, in much the same way as GoldenEye did for the nineties. Unfortunately, Quantum of Solace seems to be based around the assumption that the reaction to Casino Royale was based solely around the modern aspects of the film, rather than the fusion of the old with new, so Solace ends up being Royale without the knowing grin. And it’s a shame, because the knowing grin is part of what makes Bond Bond (perhaps moreso than gadgets, gizmos and world domination plots). Don’t get me wrong, the action in the sequel is nothing short of fantastic (possibly surpassing even its progenitor in the action sweepsteaks) and the movie is well put together, but it just lacks the firm sense of identity which defines the best of the Bond movies.
Bond admits he might be getting a bit old for these crazy college nights out...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bond, casino royale, daniel craig, film, ian fleming, james bond, Movie, non-review review, quantum of solace, review | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 5, 2010 by Darren
Dying kids are a story device that should always be considered very carefully before you use them as a storytelling device. On one level it’s because it’s a very tough blow to deal the audience, but – on a more sophisticated level – because it can horribly misfire and seem like blatant emotional manipulation. Which, in fairness, all movie-making is – but you don’t want the audience cottoning on to that fact or you’re ruined. The illusion is shattered. Unfortunately My Sister’s Keeper isn’t smart enough to be aware of either of these risks in framing a story around a dying child suffering from cancer, so it smashes through both ideas like two large window panes before staggering blindly through the china shop of the tangental moral issues it raises. And yes, even those awkward and ham-fisted analogies I just fed you are more subtle than the movie itself.
Cameron Diaz really wants the part of Blofeld in Bond 23...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: abigail breslin, alec baldwin, cameron diaz, film, grief, jason patric, loss, Movie, my sister's keeper, non-review review, review | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 4, 2010 by Darren
‘Tis still (barely) the season and all that…
I thought I’d very quickly jot down my most anticipated movies of the upcoming 12 months. This is a personal list and is by no means anything official or objective. It’s subjective all the way, baby. Keep in mind that I am a nerd who lives in Ireland, so two of these bad boys have already seen release and mixed reception Stateside. So, let’s get this thing started.
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 10 for 2010, 2010, Inception, invictus, iron man 2, kick-ass, most anticiapated movies, most anticipated, predators, Shutter Island, ten movies, the expendables, the road, The Wolf Man, the wolfman, tron, tron: legacy | 4 Comments »
Posted on January 1, 2010 by Darren
That was much better. I mean, there’s still a whole host of half-baked ideas clogging up the narrative (the Naismiths, the Master’s superpowers), but it works a lot more fluidly mainly because it manages to both embrace the sheer ridiculousness of what it’s doing (featuring a Star Wars homage in a flight across the Channel and a cantina scene which seems to exist solely to demonstrate all the aliens created during the run) with some fantastic performances. It would be hard to tell if Tennant has ever been better than he is here, but he nails his final episode as everyone’s favourite Timelord. That Russell T. Davies keeps his hand mostly away from that giant reset button installed in his office helps no end.
The Doctor feels the worst New Years hangover ever
Note: This review will be discussing the episode in depth (including spoilers). If you are looking for a quick recommendation, it’s a yes – as if you weren’t interested anyway. It might not represent the best regeneration story ever written for the show (give me The Caves of Androzani) but it is an emotional farewell to the Davies/Tennant era.
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: bbc, david tennant, doctor who, john simm, regeneration, review, Television, the doctor, the end of time, the end of time part 2, the master, timothy dalton | 2 Comments »
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